40gr vs 50-55??? In the 223!

J

Jay Cummings

New member
I am wanting to throw togather two loads for my AR 223. Its a 1/8 twist so I will throw togather a long range like 69-77gr and use that for the long stuff. However, I plan to hunt with this rifle as well and wanted to develop a hunting load using the 40-55gr weight. Typically, while calling coyotes it would be out of the norm for me to take shots out past 350-400yds. So I don't really want to use the heavies for hunting plus they are a little ruff on fur. Trying to decide if I should use the 40gr bullets for shots inside 400yds. I wonder if the 40gr gives up anything vs the 50-55 at this range. Sure the 50-55gr have a better BC but the 40 starts out faster and wonder if it is actually flatter out to 350-400.
 
I have a 1 in 9 twist that handles 40 and 55 gr. ballistic tip bullets very well,but I feel more confident with the 55 gr. on coyotes. Just my .02
 
What do you consider "long range 223"?

I shoot 40gr Vmax exclusively and it does fantastic on coyotes and is very accurate at 500 yards.
 
Originally Posted By: DiRTY DOGWhat do you consider "long range 223"?

I shoot 40gr Vmax exclusively and it does fantastic on coyotes and is very accurate at 500 yards.

Long range to me is anything beyond 500yds. Friend of mine has steel targets out to 1,000 and thats where the 69-77gr will shine. All I'm asking is, does it matter if the 50-55gr are ballistically superior if you only shoot out to 400yds. My thinking is, and thats dangerous, if the 40's will shoot flatter and drift less than the 50-55gr out to 400yds than the 40 is the better bullet. If the 50-55gr only overtakes the 40 after 400 yds than it doesn't matter. The 40 finishes the race first.
 
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I have taken ground squirrels and prairie dogs out to 400 yards with 40 grain .224 bullets and prairie dogs out just beyond 700 yards with 50 grains bullets. Had lots of holdover at 700 yards you bet but the bullets killed them where they stood.
 
I use nothing but the Berger 75 VLD's for coyotes, close to far, in my 22-204's. I don't see them being tough on hides.

I prefer not to dick around with two loads and two sets of drops....
 
Have you thought about using the 53gr Vmax? It has a better BC than ALL the 55's on the market. It's as long as most 60 grainers.

I have a 22in. Hart 1-9tw on my .223AI that absolutely LOVES those little 53Vmax bullets. Shoots them into the .1's @/100 with little effort and quickly dispatches the yotes I've shot with them. BUT, I don't know that I would call them fur friendly but I wouldn't call ANY of the rapid expanding tipped bullets fur friendly.
 
Originally Posted By: B23Have you thought about using the 53gr Vmax? It has a better BC than ALL the 55's on the market. It's as long as most 60 grainers.

I have a 22in. Hart 1-9tw on my .223AI that absolutely LOVES those little 53Vmax bullets. Shoots them into the .1's @/100 with little effort and quickly dispatches the yotes I've shot with them. BUT, I don't know that I would call them fur friendly but I wouldn't call ANY of the rapid expanding tipped bullets fur friendly.

That's what I thought until I shot them for drop at 400 yds - the 55 SBK has a slightly higher BC.

Bullet companies do not use the same methods to measure BC and their BC numbers are not comparable.

The 53 V-Max is the same length as the 55 SBK, and shorter than any poly tipped 60 grain bullet.


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Originally Posted By: B23Have you thought about using the 53gr Vmax? It has a better BC than ALL the 55's on the market. It's as long as most 60 grainers.

I have a 22in. Hart 1-9tw on my .223AI that absolutely LOVES those little 53Vmax bullets. Shoots them into the .1's @/100 with little effort and quickly dispatches the yotes I've shot with them. BUT, I don't know that I would call them fur friendly but I wouldn't call ANY of the rapid expanding tipped bullets fur friendly.

Shoots them into the .1's @/100 with little effort

You are one [beeep] of a shot or a BSer complete with a pc.
 
40's for prairie dogs, 50/55/60 for coyotes. The last coyote I shot with 40 grain v-max was ugly. Dead center hit in the side and blew it's guts out but did not kill the dog right away. I shot it a second time in the same spot while it was spinning and than it ran about 100 yards before dropping. I "will not" put an animal through that again.

As far as bullet weight, all my 223's shoot the 40s great. 1-8 to 1-14, 16" to 26" barrels.

50s work great too and have better speed then the 55 or 60s.

60 v-max and Sierra hollow points shoot very well out of the 1-8 twist.
 
Originally Posted By: tuneredOriginally Posted By: B23Have you thought about using the 53gr Vmax? It has a better BC than ALL the 55's on the market. It's as long as most 60 grainers.

I have a 22in. Hart 1-9tw on my .223AI that absolutely LOVES those little 53Vmax bullets. Shoots them into the .1's @/100 with little effort and quickly dispatches the yotes I've shot with them. BUT, I don't know that I would call them fur friendly but I wouldn't call ANY of the rapid expanding tipped bullets fur friendly.

Shoots them into the .1's @/100 with little effort

You are one helll of a shot or a BSer complete with a pc.

Ya' thunk??
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Originally Posted By: tunered Shoots them into the .1's @/100 with little effort

You are one [beeep] of a shot or a BSer complete with a pc.

Doesn't everybody's do that??





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Originally Posted By: alfOriginally Posted By: tunered Shoots them into the .1's @/100 with little effort

You are one [beeep] of a shot or a BSer complete with a pc.

Doesn't everybody's do that??


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All day long... but only if they do their part.
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LOL You make it sound like shooting .1's at 100yds with a .223 is some huge feat of marksmanship. Maybe with a factory rifle of todays quality it is but it certainly isn't with most .223 customs.

If you choose not to believe me, I'm good with it, no big deal, you're nobody to me as I'm nobody to you. It's all good. Shawn Carlock is who built my .223AI and I'm pretty sure he's known to be and honest guy. He test fired this rifle for accuracy and function when it was finished with a box of factory Hornady Superformance 53gr Vmax and he shot a .112 3 shot group at 100yds and these weren't even formed cases. I don't think Shawn would fake a target then date and sign his name to it.

Also, the 53Vmax IS slightly longer than the 55gr Blitz King. The SBK overall length varies a bit more than the Vmax but the bulk of them, about 60%, measured 6 thou shorter than the Vmax. The Vmax measure very consistently at .833 where as the bulk of 55SBK measured .827 This is with my calipers and they may read slightly different than someone else's but both bullets were measured with the same calipers and that's all that matters.

As for you claiming the 55SBK has a "better" boat tail than the 53Vmax, I'm not sure how you come up with that as the Vmax has a slightly longer taper. I suppose you could argue that the slightly less boat tail of the 55SBK will shoot better but that would be a whole different subject.
 
Originally Posted By: B23LOL You make it sound like shooting .1's at 100yds with a .223 is some huge feat of marksmanship. Maybe with a factory rifle of todays quality it is but it certainly isn't with most .223 customs.

If you choose not to believe me, I'm good with it, no big deal, you're nobody to me as I'm nobody to you. It's all good. Shawn Carlock is who built my .223AI and I'm pretty sure he's known to be and honest guy. He test fired this rifle for accuracy and function when it was finished with a box of factory Hornady Superformance 53gr Vmax and he shot a .112 3 shot group at 100yds and these weren't even formed cases. I don't think Shawn would fake a target then date and sign his name to it.

Also, the 53Vmax IS slightly longer than the 55gr Blitz King. The SBK overall length varies a bit more than the Vmax but the bulk of them, about 60%, measured 6 thou shorter than the Vmax. The Vmax measure very consistently at .833 where as the bulk of 55SBK measured .827 This is with my calipers and they may read slightly different than someone else's but both bullets were measured with the same calipers and that's all that matters.

As for you claiming the 55SBK has a "better" boat tail than the 53Vmax, I'm not sure how you come up with that as the Vmax has a slightly longer taper. I suppose you could argue that the slightly less boat tail of the 55SBK will shoot better but that would be a whole different subject.

6 thou...

... no cigar. 0.006" is less than the differences between lot numbers.

The 55 SMK has a higher true BC than the 53 V-Max.

0.1" with factory ammo - sorry, you're on the wrong board. Go over to Benchrest central and blow smoke at those guys - it doesn't fly over here. But be prepared for their laughter.

You might think that you have stumbled on a bunch of 'yote hunting hicks, but there are active benchrest shooters, long range match shooters, and other high end professionals on this board that ain't gonna buy it.

Take your 0.1" group somewhere where they will believe you.

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You're funny. You are one of those guys that thinks because you talk the loudest or the most that you're always right.
 


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